


The Man with the Metal Arm

by metal_arm_blues



Series: The Man with the Metal Arm [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 07:02:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20671241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metal_arm_blues/pseuds/metal_arm_blues
Summary: Fifth Installment





	The Man with the Metal Arm

**Author's Note:**

> Reader's POV

After closing the door, I couldn’t help but feel sad at the fact that Oliver and I were once again alone. It was nice to have company, considering the fact that I did not have that many visitors. I sighed and looked down at Oliver who stared up at me with big hazel eyes until he made a face at me, burrowing his eyebrows together in a grumpy look. This was a new thing he had discovered he could do, so he did it often for no reason. I smirked and did it back to him, and then he lifted his eyebrows up and made a smile.

“Don’t give me that look, I couldn’t have made him stay if I wanted to.”

He began to whine and started to run down the hall, but I hurried after him and scooped him up in my arms, earning a set of giggles as I carried him to his room for a diaper change. Once he had his clean diaper on, he high tailed it out of his room with his favorite toy firetruck and to the living room where he was expecting Mickey to still be on. I followed him to the living room as well with a load of baby clothes and blankets that needed to be washed and stopped when I heard the television beeping. It was an apparently very important news update, since it was interrupting the channel we Oliver was watching. As I listened to the headline, the basket of clothes under my arm fell to the floor and Oliver ran over to it, climbing inside it and burying himself beneath the blankets. “James Buchanan Barnes, prime suspect in Vienna bombing.” …What?

My eyes read the screen quickly, going over the words that read the bombing had taken place an hour and a half ago. This didn’t add up, he was here with me at that time. I felt like I needed to tell Bucky about this some how, but…I had no idea where he lived nor did I have any real way to contact him. I wasn’t sure what I should do, so I went ahead with the rest of my evening routine. I cleaned up the kitchen, did some laundry and soon it was time for Oliver’s dinner and evening bottle. Once he was fed and asleep for the night, I had some dinner of my own and while normally I would go to bed at this point (for Oliver always woke up early) I found that I simply could not go to sleep. I was filled with worry for Bucky, there was no way I was going to be able to sleep any time soon.

I sat upon the couch, my feet tucked up under me as I watched the TV for any sign of them having caught Bucky. I wasn’t sure how I could help him, except for the fact that I was his alibi. The night had been filled with the sounds of police sirens all over the city, and every time one was nearby, I would find myself going to the window and looking out. A sudden quick but quiet knock on the door caused my head to snap in its direction. I all but hurdled the couch as I went over to it and quickly unlocked it and opened it. There I found Bucky, he was breathing heavy and had his hood pulled up onto his head as he looked down at me. He had clearly been running from those sirens. He looked at me with an expression similar to that of regret.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to go.”

Before he continued talking, I glanced down the hallway in both directions and then grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, shutting and locking the door behind him. I then went over to the windows and pulled the blinds down and closed the curtains and turned back to him. He still stood by the door as if he shouldn’t even consider being here. Before he could try and run out the door, I walked over to him and took his hand and lead him over to the couch where I had him sit. He looked at me as I sat down beside him and turned off the tv. 

“They found my apartment, now it’s being watched. I…I don’t know what to do now. Someone’s setting me up for this, but I can’t think of who.”

We both froze when we heard sirens suddenly rush by outside my apartment, but within minutes they were gone. It was going to be a tense night, that was for sure. Bucky looked at me and started to stand up from the couch.

“I shouldn’t be here, you and your son don’t need to be brought into this.”

I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest as I looked up at him. 

“You said it yourself, you have nowhere else to go. So shut up and sit down.” 

His eyes widened slightly at me saying this, but he did not argue and took his seat once again. I asked him if he would like some coffee as I went over to the kitchen and he hesitated before nodding his head. I gave him a small smile and set to work making the coffee, which only took a few minutes. I brought his mug over to him, along with some creamer or sugar, handing him the mug and setting the other things upon the table in front of him. I sat down beside him with my own cup in my hands and tucked my legs back under me as I faced him on the couch. I blew on my coffee and then took a sip as I looked at him. 

“So…what’s the plan?”

“What do you mean?”

He narrowed his eyes at me as he tapped the sides of his mug with his thumbs apprehensively. I took another sip of mine and turned on the television, the talk was still all about him, and it was on every channel. He stared at the television and I watched as his shoulders sagged a bit, he put the cup down on the table in front of him and then leaned forward and rubbed his face with both hands as he sighed.

“I’m your alibi. There’s no way you could have done this, because you were here having lunch with us at the time this took place in Vienna. Unless you have the power to freeze time and teleport.” I said with a smirk, I then eyed him and the smirk grew into a smile. “You don’t have that power do you?” Bucky gave a soft laugh and shook his head as he leaned back into the couch.

“No, no I don’t. But even if I am caught, they wouldn’t take your word for it. Not with my long history of violence and espionage.”

I sighed and tapped the cup with my index finger a moment and then looked at the clock and saw that it as nearly two in the morning. It was clear we were not going to think of anything to help him at this hour. I stood up, and went to rinse out my now empty cup. 

“We will come up with something tomorrow. For now, I think it’s best if we both got some sleep.”

I went to the hall closet and got out some sheets and a blanket and pillow. I then came back to the couch and motioned for him to stand up. He did so and I quickly made the couch into a bed and fluffed up the pillow. I put my hands on my hips and looked over at him and smiled. “Get some sleep while you can, and hopefully Oliver won’t wake you.” He shouldn’t, the door to his nursery was rather thick and that helped block out any noise. Hence why there were baby monitors all over the house. Speaking of which I turned off the one that was on the table next to the couch so that if Oliver did wake up, he wouldn’t wake up Bucky. 

I bid him goodnight and then headed down the hall to my room, where I shut the door and then leaned back against it with a sigh. Was this a good idea? Getting mixed up in all of this? I looked over at the closet and then opened it, pushing my clothes off to the side where I had some of my late husband’s clothes still hanging up. I looked at them silently and ran my fingers over the material slowly before letting out a sigh and then taking some off the hanger and inspecting them. Bucky was pretty close to the same size, though he might be a couple inches taller than my husband was. I laid a long sleeve t-shirt upon the bed and then found a pair of jeans as well, and I folded them neatly on top of one another before finding a pair of socks that I had tossed onto the shelf above the clothes.

I would pack the rest up in a bag or box and allow Bucky to have them, should this whole ordeal blow over soon. He needed them more than I, at least that was what I assumed. The clothes that he was currently wearing seemed dingy and worn, a sign that he wore them quite often and there for might not have many clothes. I picked up the clothes I had laid upon the bed and then exited my room and headed toward the living room where he was. My eyes had been upon the shirt as I walked, remembering a time that it had last been worn and when I looked up, I stopped in my tracks. Bucky had his back to me, but he was shirtless, having just rid himself of his jacket and shirt he had been wearing before. He had folded them and set them off to the side of the couch and was standing there rubbing the back of his neck.

My eyes were glued to his back, watching as his muscles moved underneath his skin. I had a thing for back muscles, and let’s not get started on abs. It had been so long since I had seen a man without his shirt on, except for on the television or in a magazine or whatever. I couldn’t help but stand there and stare at how nicely those muscles lined his back. My eyes then moved to where his skin met the metal of his left arm, and I could not look away, feeling compelled to gently run my fingers along there. I hoped that he would not turn around and catch me gawking at– oh shit, he turned around. I had to avert my eyes quickly up to his, so that I would not get caught up in staring at his abs. Though I could tell from simply looking at his face, that they were nice even through peripheral vision. I walked up to him holding out the clothes in my hand and giving him a small smile, knowing that by now my cheeks were about as red as they could get.

“These belonged to my husband. But they should fit you just fine.”

He looked from me to the clothes in my hands and then back at me with a pained expression. He told me that he couldn’t accept them, that I should have them and I shook my head.

“I’ve been meaning to donate them, I just kept forgetting. I don’t need them to remember Thomas.”

That was the first time I had mentioned my husband’s name to him. He looked at me, searching my eyes for a sign of reluctance in giving him these clothes. The way he looked at me was enough to intensify the blush upon my cheeks, for I don’t believe I had ever seen eyes as intensely blue as his. I was plucked from my daze when I felt his hand brush mine as it reached out for the clothes. I cleared my throat and let him take the clothes and gave him a smile.

“And if you need to wash any of your clothes, or take a shower, feel free too. Though I don’t have any manly smelling soap, heh.”

I said with a small chuckle. He smiled at me and nodded as he looked down at the clothes and then set them down on the arm of the couch behind him. He turned back to look down at me, making it feel like I was unable to move under his gaze.

“I don’t know how to thank you again, you’ve done more for me than anyone has in such a long, long time.”

I smiled up at him and shrugged my shoulders, brushing the hair away from my face as well.

“Who am I to not offer someone help, when they truly need it? Well, I better get to bed. Sleep well, that couch is more comfortable than it looks.”

He turned to look back at the couch a moment and I took that opportunity to glance down at his bare chest and oh, I wish I hadn’t. Despite how good he looked without me even looking at him straight on, it was even more amazing now. I said good night once again, and started to turn to head to my room, when I noticed something. He was smirking! Had he seen me checking him out? Oh geeze, how awkward. I didn’t stop to question it, I made my way back to my room and shut the door with a quiet snap. One thing was for sure, I wasn’t going to be getting his image out of my mind tonight.

As I got into bed, I looked over at the bedside table at the pile of mail I had sat there and forgotten to go through. I reached over and began to sift through it, tossing junk mail into the small waste basket that was next to the table. I stopped when I noticed a formal looking envelope and then furrowed my eyebrows when I saw the sender’s address in the top left corner. It was from an old high school friend, back in my hometown. In Missouri. I sat up in the bed and opened the envelope to find a wedding invitation and my eyes scanned the date. It was this coming weekend. Lord, talk about waiting til the last minute to invite people. I looked at the invite for a few moments before I suddenly got an idea. This would be a great way for Bucky to get out of the city, away from whoever was wanting to get him. There was no way they would find him in the po dunk little town I was born and raised in, it was literally in the middle of nowhere. I could take him along with me and Oliver, as my plus one. It wouldn’t hurt to visit my parents either, I suppose. Now, the real question was: Would Bucky consider this idea? Would he even still be here when I woke up in the morning?


End file.
